Jakob Arthur is facing a few more weeks on the sidelines after being an exclusion from the Parramatta Eels' 24-man squad to play the Melbourne Storm this weekend.
Arthur came from the bench in Round 1 against the Gold Coast Titans, before being named as the 18th man for their Round 2 loss to the Cronulla Sharks.
The youngster, who is a half, but is slowly adding more positions in an attempt to play from the bench as a back up to Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown, has been revealed to have had his appendix removed.
According to The Daily Telegraph's David Riccio, Arthur was rushed to hospital after the loss to Cronulla.
He told Triple M Radio that Arthur is now recovering at home and could be expected to be back on the paddock in a few weeks.
“Jake Arthur the son of Brad Arthur, last Saturday night Jake had to be rushed to hospital appendectomy, which is the removal of his appendix, can be quite a serious procedure,” Riccio said.
“Thankfully Jake is A-okay and on the mend, he is back at home and will be back on the paddock within a few weeks.
“From a football points of view, Jake offers plenty of cover to that Eels halves depth and him being on the sideline is just another blow for the casualty ward that is mounting at the Parramatta Eels.”
Halfback
Try Assists
Tries
Kick Metres
The young gun - who is a Rouse Hill Rhinos junior and has spent all his junior days at the Eels - made seven appearances last year during his rookie season as he filled in for an injured Mitchell Moses.
Scoring a try in his debut game, Arthur averaged 170 kicking metres per contest, with the now 19-year-old also laying on three try assists and a pair of forced drop outs.
His ten NSW Cup games last year saw him kick for 266 metres per game and make eight try assists.
With Dylan Brown recently taking up an option in his contract, it means he is locked in until the end of 2023, while Moses is also locked into the end of 2023 but has a player option for 2024.
That means Arthur is unlikely to crack first grade anytime soon on a regular basis, but the Eels have big plans for the youngster, who is also contracted until the end of 2023.
